Love Affair
by xCommaderPrincessx
Summary: Elena is going out with Stefan Salvatore but with his brother Damon always trying to win her heart will she be able to resist his charms?
1. Chapter 1

I took a deep breath trying to calm my rapid breathing as I stood just down the road from the Salvatore mansion. I had arranged to meet my boyfriend Stefan at 11 but glancing at my watch it was now 11: 20. I swore softly to myself. I had woken up late and had run from my house. I stood for a few more minutes before walking slowly up the drive.

Stefan opened the door before I even rang the door bell and smiled warmly at me. He looked perfect as always. His blonde, gelled hair shimmered lightly in the sun light and his strong muscular body showed through his shirt. 'Better late than never,' he said 'Got your breath back? he asked, his forest green eyes shining with amusement. Damn, of course he had heard, he was a vampire. He stood back to let me in.

He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me in for a kiss as I slid past. When our lips met, my body practically melted against Stefans. We hadn't seen each other for weeks as he had gone to visit some of his old friends in Italy and I had been waiting for this kiss the entire time.

His brother on the other had still been in Mystic Fall an had made it his routine to turn up unexpectedly and practically stalk me. He was a vampire to and he is what can only be described as a dick. Both he and Stefan had liked me but I had fallen for Stefan and Damon hadn't taken it well.

I reluctantly pulled away from Stefan and ran a han down his face. 'I've missed you' he said. I smiled back at him 'I've missed you to'.

I spent hours at the Salvatore house listen to Stefan tell me about his trip to Italy and what he and his friends got up to. When he had finished he asked me what I had been doing. 'Oh just meeting up with the girls, going shopping, missing you' I replied. Being stalked by your jealous brother. Stefan smiled warmly at me, his eyes eating me up. 'You're just as beautiful as ever' he said, brushing a hand across my face. 'I could say the same about you,' I murmered as he leant towards me.

''The handsome one's here,' Damon purred from where he leant casually against the doorframe. I swiftly turned and gave him a icy glare. 'Sorry to intrude,' he said looking pleased to have interrupted a moment. ''Didn't mean to stop your fun,' he lied, looking way to smug for my liking.

'You didn't,' I retorted briskly and pulled a suprised Stefan towards me, pushing my lips firmly against his. After a moment he responded and wrapped an arm around me, pulling me closer. Damon was practically radiating fury and out of the corner of my eye I saw him stride angrily from the room. I pulled away from Stefan and breathed a sigh of relief.

'Well as much as I enjoyed that, I got the feeling that it was more for Damon's sake,' Stefan said, watching me carefully. 'He's just been such a pain recently, hanging around since you left.' Appearing in my room in the middle of the night, making seductive comments, trying to break us up. I didn't say any of this and luckily Stefan didn't ask for any details.

'Well in that case he deserved it' he said as he pulled me onto his lap and kissed me again.

A few days later I said a quick goodbye to Stefan before I drove up to my cousins house where she was having a birthday party. She had said that I could sleep over for the night so I promised Stefan that I would call him when I got there and when I left. He always worried whenever I went anywhere alone. The party had been great, I hadn't seen my cousin for over a year so it was good to catch up. I made sure that I didn't drink to much as I had a long drive the next day.

This plan fell through and I was soon so drunk I could barely stand and had to stay at my cousins the whole of the next day to get over my hangover. It was only early that evening when I was sober enough to drive when I called Stefan to tell him I was on my way home.

'Be careful,' he warned me 'there's a storm forcast.'

I had grown up through many summer storms so this didn't bother me to much but promised Stefan that I would be extra careful. I had been driving for about 30 minutes when I saw the sky start to darken above me. Most summer storms were fairly brief and consisted of a bit of thunder but after a while I realized with horror that this was no ordinary storm.

Dark clouds rolled across the sky and the wind became so strong my car began to sway. It got so bad that I eventually had to pull over as I was having trouble driving in a straight line. I stopped the car on a deserted lane as the heavens opened and it started to rain. At first it was just light drops but before long it was pounding down so hard I feared it would damage the car.

I sat for a few moment contemplating my options. I only had about an hours drive left before I reached Mystic Falls so thought I might as well go for it. Stefan would be expecting me back on time. When I turned the key my car sputtered for a few minutes before dying completely. I swore softly to myself, having no choice but to get out in the pouring rain to see what the damage was. In seconds my clothes were completely drenched and I was shivering as I looked under the hood of my car. Smoke trailed from the front of the car making me cough and back away.

Standing in the pouring rain in the middle of nowhere I didn't think that it could get any worse. That was when the tree fell.


	2. Chapter 2

A sudden gust of wind forcefully pushed me back a few steps. The gust was so strong that a nearby tree fell with a loud groan. It smashed into the front of my car, the glass from the windshield shattering on the road as the front of the car was completely crushed.

I stood still for a moment, staring in shock at the ruin before me. If I had been stood even a few metres closer my car wouldn't be the only thing crushed. My wet hair clung to my face as the cold rain seeped through my clothes. Lightning flashed boldly above before the thunder rumbled threateningly.

I cried and jumped backwards when the lightning flashed for a second time. In the light it had almost looked as if there had been someone stood in the road. In fact, I was pretty certain that there had been someone in the road. I looked around wildly trying to decide what to do when lightning flashed again and I saw the figure, this time only a few metres away. A second later the lightning had gone, leaving me in the darkness.

I spun swiftly and tried to run in the opposite direction but a gust of wind effortlessly knocked me off my feet. I landed by the car and cried out as a piece of shattered glass sliced into my leg. I quickly yanked it out and felt blood trickling down my leg. I sobbed quietly and tried to scramble backwards ignoring the pain in my hands as they were pierced with glass.

Lightning flashed again and I sobbed as the figure approached. I closed my eyes in defeat. 'Elena, it's me'. I opened my eyes slowly and in another flash of light saw Damon's sillouette against the dark sky.

'Damon?' I whispered as he picked his was through the glass. I had never been so relieved to see him. He knelt down in front of where I was sat shivering and bleeding in front of my ruined car.

He gently pulled me up right and a second later we were far away in a completely different lane. 'I wish you wouldn't do the whole vamp speed thing,' I mumbled as my stomach churned from the sudden acceleration.

'You're right I should have left you there,' he said as he helped me into the passenger side of his car. 'What are you even doing here?' I asked,trying to ignore how Damon kept glancing down at my bleeding leg. 'Do you really want to know?' he replied. I said nothing, knowing that he had probably been looking for an easy victim in the storm. I just hoped it wasn't me.

'Let's go,' I said fully aware of Damon's hungry stare. He reluctantly dragged his gaze away from my wound and started the car. I gave silent thanks that I wasn't on his menu tonight. This was going to be a long ride.

It was gone 10:00pm when we finally arrived back in Mystic Falls. The whole way back I had been nodding in and out of sleep, unable to rest as my body shook in the cold. Damon hadn't said a word on the journey back but had knocked up the heating when he noticed my shivering.

Stefan was stood outside his house the second he heard the car pull up and watched suspiciously as Damon pulled me out of the car. I leant heavily on him as each step sent pain shooting through my leg. Stefan immediately supported my other side and the two of them walked me into a spare room where they lay me on a bed.

Stefan imediately sat beside me as Damon melted away into the shadows. 'I knew I shouldn't have let you go alone,' he said, frustrated with himself. I couldn't reply as my teeth where chattering so much. Stefan gave me an apologetic look as he tore through my jeans to get to the cut. I winced as he finger lighly brushed across it.

'It'll be fine,' he sighed in relief, placing blankets around my shoulders. He didn't want to put me under the quilt as it would hurt my leg to much. 'I just need to sleep,' I told him resting my head back on the mountain of pillows behind me. 'You get some rest,' he said, gently kissing my forhead before leaving. I had already texted Jenna in the car to tell her that I would be staying at Stefan's for the night. I didn't want her to see me in this state.

I faintly heard Stefan asking Damon what had happened before their voices faded away and I slipped into an uneasy sleep.

I awoke suddenly, what must have only been an hour later, feeling as if my leg was on fire. I gasped in pain as I saw the enflamed skin on my leg. Damon suddenly appeared before me and frowned when he looked at my leg. 'Where's Stefan?' I cried. 'He's gone to move your car,' he replied briefly inspecting the gash.

I groaned and pounded the bed as I tried not to scream in pain. 'Elena, your leg is infected, I want to help you,' Damon said, looking at me with his bright blue eyes. 'Will you let me help you?'. I could only nod as my leg burned furiously.

'Just make it stop,' I managed to choke out. Damon didn't need to be asked twice. He took a bite out of his wrist and before I could make a sound he pressed it against my mouth. I wanted to scream at him, this wasn't the help I wanted. The problem was I had asked for his help and even as I tried to resist I felt his blood flowing down my throat.

After a few more seconds he pulled his wrist away and dabbed at my mouth to stop any blood from dripping. 'Now sleep,' he commanded, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. I had no more strength to resist, so I let the darkness surround me.

I opened my eyes and took a second to remember where I was. I remembered the tree falling and the storm but it all felt like a bad dream. I looked down at my leg to see how bad the gash was and to my suprise there wasn't even a scar. It was like it had never been there.

The memories of last night came rushing back. The searing pain in my leg and Damon's help. I wish he'd warned me I thought sullenly but seeing that I had been completely healed I decided to forgive and forget. Jumping up from the bed, I took a long slow stretch marvelling at how great my body felt. Not a single muscle was aching. By the weak light filtering through the window I assumed that it was early morning.

I made my way through the seemingly endless hallways before ending up in the living room. I stood completely still for a few moments, listening in silence for any movement that would tell me if anyone was home.

Hearing nothing I turned around and jumped to see Damon stood just behind me. 'You almost gave me a heart attack,' I said, startled by his sudden appearance. He seemed unfazed by my reaction. 'You're looking better' he said noting my happy glow.

I spun around to show him that my leg was fine. 'I feel fantastic,' I said grinning. A soft smile formed on Damon lips at my obvious delight. My heart skipped a beat as he watched me. We both frowned, suprised by my reaction. His blue eyes focused on me as he cocked his head thoughtfully to the side.

The door opened and the moment was gone. 'Elena!' Stefan said as he rushed in and gave me a strong hug. I hugged him back but my eyes stayed on Damon. Stefan eventually released me and looked at me in confusion when he saw my leg.

'But yesterday...it was...' he slowly stopped speaking as he put the pieces together. He turned threateningly towards Damon but I put a hand on his shoulder. 'It's okay, he helped me' I told him. Damon watched Stefan cooly.

'Her leg was infected, I didn't have a choice.' he stated calmly. 'You should have told me,' Stefan replied barely keeping the fury from his voice. 'You weren't here. I did what I had to.' Damon said to his brother. Stefan pulled away from my touch and began pacing the room.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from Damon. In the weak light he appeared almost god-like. I watched how his mouth moved when he talked and how the muscles in his arms flexed as he clasped them behind his back. I couldn't tear my eyes away.

I suddenly noticed that no one had spoken for a few minutes and switched my gaze to Stefan who was staring at me in horror. I blushed self conciously at having been caught staring at his brother. 'I must have given her to much blood,' Damon said finally. Stefan looked at him darkly. 'It'll wear off soon' he promised before he pulled me away and drove me home.

Once back at my own house in my own room I turned to Stefan mortified. He had seen how I had been looking at Damon, he wasn't stupid.

He stood at my window, looking anywhere but at me. 'Stefan...' I began slowly, unsure of how to continue. He didn't even acknowledge that I had spoken. 'I'm sorry,' I whispered, an ache forming in my chest at the sorrow in his gaze.

I thought Stefan was going to ignore me but in a flash of vampire speed he was pulling me tightly into his arms. I lent into him, unable to look at his face, not wanting to see the pain in his eyes. I couldn't imagine how he must be feeling at this point. It's not easy when your girlfriend starts obsessing with your brother. Especially after what had taken place with Katherine.

'It was the blood,' Stefan said before planting a kiss on my head. 'It was the blood,' he repeated. I wasn't sure who he was trying to convince, me or him.

Stefan left at midday saying that he had things to do. I watched him walk down the road, knowing full well that he just needed some space. I knew it must be hard on him but I couldn't stop the ache in my chest as he walked away.

I went back inside and sat with a sigh in the kitchen. Staying away from Damon was first priority. I didn't want to upset Stefan even further. I silently cursed Damon for his carelessness. As grateful as I was that he had healed me, if he hadn't given me so much blood this never would have happened. I hoped this would wear off soon.

I got myself some lunch and thought about what I would do for the rest of the day. I would usually meet up with Stefan but that wasn't an option at the minute. Even as I was thinking about him all I could see was Damon.

I chewed furiously on a sandwich and tried to banish every thought of him but the harder I tried the less I could control it. Eventually I gave up and tried to distract myself by washing up. When this failed I picked up the phone and dialed Bonnies number but there was no reply.

I almost screamed in frustration. In my head Damon smiled his teasing smile and laughed softly at me. I ran upstairs and pulled on my running kit. Maybe a workout would clear my head.

Turning left outside my house, I followed the roads aimlessly. I ran in time with the music pounding through my headphones. Before long I was slick with sweat and my muscles were burning but I didn't stop. I was so focused on my breathing and steps that I had practically banished all thoughts of Damon from my mind. That was until I turned a corner and saw him leaning against a wall on the other side of the road. I immediately changed course and quickened my pace. I glanced quickly behind me but the road was clear. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I turned down into a side road heading back to my house but Damon was there again. I almost stopped completely at the sight of him. He was stood half concealed in the shadow of a house smirking at me. I turned quickly to get away from him. I felt a hint of anger at him. What was he playing at. I focused on my pounding foot steps as I raced down road after road, twisting and turning.

I eventually stopped,leaning on a wall as I tried to get my breath back. After a few minutes I looked around to see where I was. To my surprise I was on the other side of town, almost on the border. I must have ran for miles. The run back was not going to be enjoyable.

I turned to start running again but Damon was stood in front of me. I jumped in suprise before glaring angrily at him. 'What the hell are you doing?' I demanded, irritated that he kept popping up after my efforts to avoid him entirely.

I went to shove him but he wasn't there. My hands went through empty air. I stood in shock for a moment, wondering what was happening. I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder and whirled around angrily, expecting to see Damon.

'Woah, Elena!' Matt said as he held his hands up. I relaxed and shook my head. 'Sorry Matt, just a bit jumpy. What are you doing here?' I asked him. Matt lived near me on the other side of town.

'I was out in my car when I saw you racing around like you were on fire. When I saw you heading in this direction I thought you could use a lift. My car's only just around the corner.' he said pointing in the direction of his car.

I looked gratefully at him gratefully. 'Thanks,' I said as we started walking. ' Did you see anyone else on the roads?' I asked carefully after a moment. 'No, the streets were practically deserted' he replied. So no Damon I thought. I must have been hallucinating. Could it get any worse? First getting feelings for him and then imagining him. When we got to Matt's car I collapsed wearily into the passenger seat as he started the engine.

When we got to my house Matt turned and looked at me. 'How's Stefan?' he asked. I looked back at him suspiciously. 'I heard that you were breaking up.' he said innocently, fiddling with his seatbelt. 'We had a...misunderstanding,' I said slowly.

'I'm sorry to hear that,' he replied but his expression betrayed his words. I almost groaned out loud. Now Matt thought he had a chance with me. 'If you need anyone to talk to' he offered kindly. I nodded knowing that if I needed to talk to anyone about Stefan it wouldn't be with Matt. His gaze was making me slightly uncomfortable so I unbuckled my seat belt.

'Thanks for the lift,' I said quickly as I hopped out the car, wincing as my muscles twinged.

Matt watched me with a contented look from his car as I walked to my house and shut the door behind me. I stood still until I heard the car roar to life and fade into the distance.

After saying hello to Jenna, who was making tea, I retreated to the safety of my room. I lent against my door and closed my eyes. This was like a nightmare. I had no idea what to do about anything.

I had a quick shower and got into some comfy clothes before lying on my bed. Thoughts of Damon, Matt and Stefan flitted through my head until I could take it no more.

When I sat up I wasn't suprised to see Damon stood by my window. By now I had figured out that he was just a figment of my imagination. He smirked at me as I ignored him and started cleaning my room. It took all my self control not to look at him but I somehow managed. Eventually there was nothing left to clean so I stood with my back to him, arms crossed over my chest.

'Are you going to stop ignoring me now?' his voice asked inside my head. He's not real. I repeated to myself over and over again though a part of me wished he were.

I heard him stand up and take a step towards me. I tried and failed to stop my heart from beating faster but stubbornly kept my gaze fixed on the lamp in front of me. 'Why won't you talk to me?' he whispered.

I couldn't resist amymore and slowly turned towards him. 'You're not real,' I said weakly trying not to focus on him. 'But you want me to be,' he purred as he stood inches from me. I looked into his electric blue eyes but before I could say yes Jenna shouted up that tea was ready. I turned to shout down that I was on my way and when I turned back around imaginary Damon was gone. I reluctantly turned and made my way down stairs.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days I spent lounging around the house, much to the dissaproval of Jenna, who kept telling me to go out and get some fresh air. She had to go to work during the day and Jeremy was always out with friends so I had the house to myself. Well I had my imagination to keep me company.

My plan was to avoid everyone until the blood wore off and everything got back to normal. I hadn't heard from Stefan and could only hope that he was okay. I curled up on the couch for the whole of one day and slept as imaginary Damon watched over me.

Mostly I ignored him. Sometimes he wouldn't appear for hours and I would think that it was over but he would then turn up and shatter the hope.

Once, Jenna had returned from work whilst I was talking to Damon about his little appearances. I hadn't heard the door but when I heard her footsteps in the doorway I quickly put my phone to my ear and began talking. She thought that I was talking to Bonnie or Caroline. When Jenna wasn't looking I glared angrily at Damon who was laughing softly at the near miss.

By the third day I was sick of the house and had to get out. As I was leaving Damon appeared and walked beside me down the road. It was less lonely with him there but it was worse knowing he wasn't real.

As we turned the corner I was suprised to see Stefan walking in my direction. I contemplated turning and walking back the way I had gone but Stefan knew I was there. We looked at each other awkwardly as we got nearer. 'I was just on my way to yours' he said softly, looking at the floor. 'I'm just out for a walk,' I said stupidly, resisting the urge to shush Damon as he laughed beside me.

'I know I haven't been around recently and that was selfish of me,' Stefan said as Damon nodded in agreement. 'No, you needed some time to think,' I replied. Stefan finally looked at me. 'Thank you for understanding. How are you...feeling?' he said slowly. I knew exactly what he was talking about. 'I feel like I have always felt,' I said, stepping towards him and placed a hand on his. He looked down and clasped my hand. 'I wasn't sure after... you know,' he said referring to how I had been staring at his brother.

I cast a quick look at Damon who was watching us closely. Stefan caught the action and glanced where I was looking. 'What is it?' he asked. I snapped my eyes back to him. 'Nothing,' I replied quickly. Stefan narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

'Did you want to go to Dinner tonight?' I asked to distract him.

'Of course' he answered immediately. 'I'll be at yours at 6:00' he smiled. I returned the smile before we both headed in our different directions. Hopefully the meal would help to fix the rift between us. Damon had dissapeared again so I walked alone for a few hours.

The evening with Stefan went as well as I could've possibly imagined. We talked and laughed like we used to before all of the complications. By the end of the meal I was certain that things between us were going to be fine from now on.

I had assured him that I only had these feelings for Damon because of the blood and that they would soon be gone. He had reluctantly accepted that to my relief. The rest of the evening went smoothly and when Stefan walked me home he pulled me in for a gentle kiss.

When he pulled away I smiled contentedly up at him. 'I'm glad we're okay' he said. I kissed him one final time before we said goodnight.

Damon hadn't appeared at all for hours and I knew that this was a good thing, the blood had finally worn off but somehow I still felt as if part of me was missing. I went to bed that night thinking of Stefan and the wonderful night we'd had but my dreams were of Damon.

For the next few days I spent my days with Stefan, mending the distance between us. I was happy that we were getting closer but I still felt an emptiness within me that nothing could fill. Every night I went home and expected to see Damon lounging somewhere, a cocky grin on his face, but he never was. I tossed and turned in bed unable to sleep. Stefan started to notice my unease and kept asking if I was okay.

I plastered a smile on my face and told him everything was great and he believed it. The truth was that I had spent so many days with imaginary Damon that his absence had created a hole in my life. On a day when me and Stefan didn't meet up I was at home with my brother. He was holed up in his room blasting rock music from his stereo. Bored and irritated by his loud music I decided that I needed to go out.

Once I got outside I had no idea where to go. I walked aimlessly for a bit before stopping in suprise. I was stood on the path that led to the Salvatore house. I froze for a second, not knowing what to do. Before I knew what I was doing I continued walking. Maybe Stefan was in. My pace quickened as I neared the house until I was at the front door. No turning back now. I slowly opened the door and walked in.

The house was completely silent but when vampires live there that doesn't really count for much. I walked into the living room and looked around. Maybe no one was home. 'You shouldn't be here.'

I turned around and Damon appeared out of the shadows. Thinking he was imaginary Damon I ignored him and started searching the rest of the house. 'Elena, are you ignoring me?' he asked incredulously. I froze. It wasn't imaginary Damon.

I looked cautiously at him. He cocked his head to the side and looked back. I took a step towards him until he was right in front of me. I continued to watch him suspiciously as I carefully raised my hand.

I pushed him gently and was almost suprised when my hand didn't go right through. 'Thank God,' I whispered, poking him a few more times to make sure he was really there. He observed me, a smile playing on his lips, amused at my actions. I put my hands on his shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief.

I had started to think that he had never existed. I looked up into his sweet eyes, drinking up everything about him. I felt like a drug addict and he was my drug.

He slowly pulled out of my grip and backed up a few steps. 'Stefan's not in' he said, crossing his arms infront of him.

 _I didn't come here for him_ I almost said as I realized that it was true. 'Oh' I said instead. I couldn't stop staring at him.

'Has the blood worn off yet?' he asked, watching me warily. I nodded, watching a frown creep onto his face as he heard my heart thumping in my chest.

'This isn't like that' I said, trying to explain. 'I tried so hard to stop the feelings that I ended up making it worse. I started to see you everywhere I went.' Damon's eyes widened in suprise. ' Then you...he...dissapeared and I was just so...confused and I... you weren't real,' I rushed on before he could speak. He absorbed the information and cocked an eyebrow at me.

'I'm most definately real,' he teased. I grinned back at him.

'I know' I replied, relieved that he was. Imaginary Damon had been a comfort, but knowing that he wasn't real had been a stronger feeling of being alone. My life now felt whole again.

A sharp cough interrupted our conversation. Both me and Damon jumped in suprise as Stefan watched us cooly from the door way.

Stefan watched as me and Damon stared guiltily at the floor but why we felt guilty I didn't know. 'I thought you were out,' Damon finally said. Stefan didn't reply but continued to stare.

I couldn't stand the silence anymore and took a step towards him but he held up a hand before I could say anything. 'How long have you been there?' I said ignoring his gesture.

'Long enough,' he replied, fixing his stone gaze on me.

'You both would have noticed if you hadn't been so enthralled with one another.' Words stuck in my throat as I felt the anger and pain in his voice.

'We were just talking,' Damon told him. Stefan strode up infront of his brother who remained still as a statue.

'I don't even want to talk let alone look at you right now,' Stefan growled as Damon tensed his body defensively. Stefan's eye were wild and seemed almost savage. I had to do something before they started fighting.

'He's right, We were just talking,' I said, trying to take Stefan's attention away from his brother. He turned so suddenly I stumbled back a few steps as he advanced towards me.

'Why would I believe a word that comes out of your mouth? What do you care for me when my brother is all you want,' he spat, towering threateningly over me.

I shrunk away from his fury, each word as hurtfull as a slap. 'You don't mean that,' I whispered weakly.

'I meant every word,' he replied, anger shining in his eyes.

'Don't speak to her like that,' Damon said, low and threatening. Stefan turned and glowered at his brother before stalking out of the house. I could only stand and watch him go.

Damon relaxed when his brother had left and turned slowly towards me. 'Elena he didn't mean..' he stopped as I held up a hand to cut him off. 'He meant every word of it,' I said, too shocked to feel any emotion. His eyes had shown me exactly what he was feeling.

'Elena...' Damon began. I just shook my head and walked out of the house my heart heavy as I slowly made my way home.

That evening I curled up in my bed, gripping my pillow tight as Stefans words echoed through my head. That was a side of him I had never seen before. He was always so kind and sweet I had almost forgotten that he was a vampire. The words had dripped so venemously from his mouth, his eyes wild and angry.

I hugged the pillow closer and burrowed under my quilt. I knew that hiding away wouldn't make anything better but I did it anyway.

'What do you want Damon?' I said, my voice muffled from the pillow. He didn't reply for a moment, probably wondering how I had known he was there. Imaginary Damon had popped up so many times I was able to tell when, apparently it worked for real Damon too.

'I wanted to talk to you about Stefan,' he finally replied. I heard my dresser creak as he leant on it.

'Whats to talk about?' I said stubbornly. I didn't want Damon to see how hurt I was.

'You can pretend all you like but I can feel how upset you are,' he said. I threw back my quilt with a sigh and sat up to look at him directly. 'Spit it out then,' I said, settling back against my headboard.

Damon didn't waste any time and got straight to the point. 'Ever since the... blood situation,' he began carefully 'Stefan hasn't been himself.'

I nodded. 'He didn't take it too well,' I agreed. He had been upset but he had a right to be.

'It wasn't just that he didn't take it well, he went out of control. For those few days you didn't see him, he was out drowning his sorrows.' By the look on Damons face I could tell he wasn't reffering to an alcoholic drink.

I thought back on how rabid he seemed earlier and it all started to make sense. 'That's why he was so weird but the things he said...' I didn't finish the sentance as Damon pushed himself off the dresser and perched on the end of my bed.

'That was the blood talking,' he assured me 'the amount he has been drinking brings out his vampire side.' I looked down unable to believe this. The blood explained his actions but it didn't control what he said. Vampire's obviously drank blood to survive and it made them stronger but some vampires couldn't handle to much as they lost control. Stefan was one of these vampires.

Damon knew what I was thinking and sighed quietly. 'No matter what I say you won't change your mind. You need to talk to Stefan. He'll tell you exactly what he feels. But first we need to stop him feeding,' he told me. I looked up slowly.

We both knew that it wasn't going to be easy but we had to get Stefan back to normal. 'When do we start?' I aked determindly. Damon smiled at me. 'I'll see you tomorrow' he replied before he was gone in a flash of vampire speed.

I nestled back down in my bed again, at least I had a plan now.

The next morning I got a text from Damon asking me to meet him in the Grill. I frowned at my phone, why would he want to meet there? I was blaming him if anyone overheard our conversation.

20 minutes later I was stood outside the Grill, peering through the doorway but Damon was nowhere to be seen. This was the last time he arranged our meeting.

'Looking for someone?' Damon whispered over my shoulder. I turned to him frustrated. 'Better late than never' he said before I could even open my mouth. He swept past me into the Grill leaving me no choice but to follow.

Once we were settled in a corner seat I looked at Damon expectantly but he was too busy looking at the menu to notice. 'About Stefan...' I began.

Damon looked up as if he had almost forgotten. 'Of course, but first...' he replied, waving his hand to summon a waiter.

'You're going to eat now?' I asked slightly frustrated at him.

'Not for me, for you,' he said. Before I could say anything more the waiter appeared at my side. 'What can I get... oh hey Elena,' I looked up and almost groaned when I saw that Matt was our waiter. 'We'll have the salad,' Damon ordered without even looking at him.

'I didn't expect to see you in here,' he said to me, glancing suspiciously at Damon. What you mean is you didn't expect me and Damon to be here together I thought to myself.

'Where's Stefan?' he asked looking back at me. Just at the mention of Stefan's name I felt the words catch in my throat. I couldn't answer the question because I had no idea where he was.

Damon looked at Matt and fixed him with an icy stare. 'I ordered salad.' he said, daring Matt to stay and keep talking. He looked like he was about to for a moment but then he turned on his heel and strode away.

I tried to collect myself as Damon pretended not to notice. I just wanted to help Stefan and we weren't doing that sitting in the Grill.

As if he knew what I was thinking Damon leant forwards, resting his arms on the table between us. 'I know that this isn't exactly what you were expecting,' he said 'you were going to rush in, make some heroic plan to save Stefan then rush out and do exactly that'.

I didn't reply because we both knew he was right. 'This isn't going to be a quick fix Elena, it's going to take time and I don't want you to think any different.'

I looked up at him and gave him a quick smile. 'We can do it though?' what was originally meant to be a statement coming out as a question.

Damon returned my smile. 'We can do it together,' he assured me and I believed him. His eyes held the same determination that mine did and I knew that together we would save Stefan.

I was so caught up in the moment I didn't notice Matts appearance until he slammed the bowl of salad down on the table between us. I jumped in suprise as it hit the table with a loud crash. Damon hadn't moved an inch but I could see that he was starting to get angry.

'I didn't think salad was your thing.' Matt said, oblivious to the danger.

'It's not. I prefer my meals with more life in them,' his tone was low and threatening. Matt paled slightly and to my relief walked away before he became dinner.

I relaxed back in my chair and looked pointedly at Damon who was thankfully calmer. 'He was being rude' he said as if that made it okay.

I looked at him exasperated. 'You can't just threaten to eat everyone who's rude to you' I scolded.

He shrugged dismissively and pushed the salad bowl to me. 'What's with the salad anyway?' I asked, picking at it with a fork.

'You need to eat and I'm betting you had nothing before you came here and weren't planning on eating before you left on your save Stefan mission.' he replied. I chewed on my salad knowing he was right.

'That's quite thoughtful of you Damon,' I said teasingly even though I was quite taken by his nice gesture.

'You can have some if you want,' I said, smiling at the image of Damon eating salad.

He gave me a cocky grin. 'When I get hungry I think I might take a snack on our waiter friend,' he said. The smile died on my lips as I tried to figure out if he was joking but then realised he probably wasn't.

I finished my salad quickly before I put my serious face on. 'Let's talk about Stefan,' I said firmly. 'He was at the house this morning before I came to meet you.' I gaped at him. That's why Damon had been late. 'How was he?' I asked, expecting the worse.

'He looked good. From what I saw he hadn't been drinking so I assume he's trying to stop.' Damon told me. I couldn't believe it, this was great news. 'Why didn't you tell me earlier?' I asked.

'Maybe I wanted to spend some time with you' he said, smirking at me. I looked back at him disbelievingly but it didn't matter now.

'What did he say?' I asked, wanting to know exactly what happened.

'He wants to talk to you,' Damon said carefully, watching my reaction. My first thought was that I wanted to see him and make sure he was okay. My second was what if I didn't want to hear what he had to say.

I chewed my lip thoughfully. 'When and where?' I said finally.

'2:00 at mine,' he replied immediately. I looked at the clock on the wall. 1:32.

I took a deep breath and looked back at Damon. 'We'd best be off then,' I said before I could back out.

'You'd best be off,' he said, lounging back into his seat. 'I don't think me being there will really help matters.' he told me. I couldn't deny it.

'I'll see you later then,' I said before walking to the door. After a second I went back to where Damon was looking at the drinks section on the menu.

He looked up when I approached. 'No eating the staff,' I said sternly as Damon looked back innocently.

'Cross my heart,' he mocked. I shook my head at him, hoping he meant it. I passed Matt on the way out who was leaning sullenly on the bar. I waved him goodbye and made a quick exit before he started talking to me. I had a meeting with Stefan to get to.

 **Dont worry, Delena will be happening! Leave a comment and tell me what you thought :)**


	4. Chapter 4

I stood in front of the Salvatore house, nervously rubbing my hands together as I waited for Stefan to answer the door. I almost turned and left thinking that he didn't want to talk but then the door opened and the chance was gone.

Stefan stepped back to let me in before closing the door behind me. It reminded me of when he had returned a few months earlier and I had come up to the house to meet him. Everything felt different now. Back then we had been in love and saw a strong future for us, but now we were just trying to tape over the cracks in our relationship. That is if we still had one.

We stood awkwardly in the living room for a moment as I quickly looked him up and down. Damon had been right about Stefan looking better. He seemed calmer and less wild than he had a few nights ago but he also seemed paler if thats possible for a vampire. At least it seemed that he had stopped feeding.

'I owe you an apology,' Stefan began 'I wasn't myself when I said those things'. I looked down at the floor unable to look at him. It was a relief to hear but the words had still hurt.

'When I walked in and heard what you said to Damon... and the way you were looking at each other ...' Stefan shook his head as if trying to banish the memory. I opened my mouth to speak but Stefan beat me to it. 'You were seeing him Elena,' his voice was full of pain. 'You were imagining my brother even when you were with me.'

I looked up at him in despair 'You know that was the blood Stefan, I was trying so hard to fight it I just ended up making it worse.' He started pacing the room. 'That's the thing Elena, healing someone with our blood has never done that before. So was it the blood? Or was it how you really felt?'

I just stared at him in shock. It must have been the blood, that's the only thing that could have caused it. Stefan continued to pace the room so I stepped forward and pulled him around until he was facing me.

'What matters now is you and me. That's why I came here Stefan. Forget about everything else. Can you see a future with me?'. I watched him closely as he absorbed my words. He put his hands on my face and rested his head against mine.

'I love you Elena and all I want is for us to be together.' he said. 'Then that's what we need to work at. If you can get back to yourself then we can work at it. Okay?' I asked him. Stefan didn't reply but pulled me in for a tight hug. I relaxed against him as relief flooded through my body. 'We can do it Stefan,' I told him, but a niggling voice inside wondered if we would ever get back to how we had been.

The next day I woke early and arranged to meet Stefan and Damon at their house. We had to get this sorted before it started any more trouble. When I arrived the two of them were in the living room waiting for me. The instant I entered I immediately felt the hostility in the room and was glad I had arranged this.

They were both stood on opposite sides of the room completely ignoring each other yet the tension was obvious. At my arrival both heads snapped towards me. I took a seat on the couch in the middle of the room. Neutral territory. I dared not go to either brother knowing it would cause trouble with the other. I could already feel a headache coming on.

'You both need to make up,' I said bluntly, no time to waste on chit chat. Stefan glowered at his brother who smirked back in return. I felt like bashing their heads together.

'We need to get this sorted now,' I said though it had no effect what so ever. I sighed, this was going to be hard work. I stood up to get their attention. 'Damon, come here,' I said pointing to the floor infront of me. Damon obliged and swaggered to where I was pointing.

'Stefan, here,' I said pointing next to Damon. At first I thought he would refuse but he reluctantly walked over and stood beside his brother. I looked at both of them in turn and hoped that this would work. 'Now shake hands,' I said 'I'm not asking you to kiss and make up, I just want you to put this behind you'. I wasn't stupid enough to think that they could put everything in the past and move on but they had to at least make an attempt.

Stefan and Damon regarded each other warily but neither moved a muscle. I caught Stefans eye and silently pleaded with him to do as I had said and after a moment he raised a hand. 'Are we good?' he asked. After a moment Damon clasped his brothers hand. 'We're good.' I smiled, glad that they had taken their first step.

I sat back down on the couch, my mind already whirring with plans of what to do next. Stefan had already agreed that he needed to stop drinking so much blood and the only way I could see that happening is if we controlled it.

'Damon will keep an eye on how much you're drinking.' I told Stefan. I hated putting him under supervision but I knew that if I didn't he would be tempted and there would be no one to stop him.

Damon sat down next to me and put an arm around my shoulder, 'I won't let him out of my sight,' Damon said as Stefan watched him stone faced. I was uncomfortably aware of Damon's arm around me and knew that the fragile peace wouldn't last long if he overstepped the boundary.

I slid out of Damon's grip and stood next to Stefan. 'I couldn't think of any other way,' I apologised knowing how much Stefan would like being with his brother every second of the day. 'If it gets me better than I can overlook the inconveniance,' he directed at Damon who didn't lose his cocky grin for a second

'I'd better go, I'm meeting Bonnie and Caroline,' I said before giving Stefan a quick kiss on the cheek. I almost ran to the door to get away from the atmosphere. At least they were making some progress.

An afternoon with my two best friends was a blessed change from the dramas of life. Even if only for a few hours I could have some fun and not have to worry about anything.

After dinner I was in my room when I got a text from Damon saying that Stefan had been very well behaved and that he had only drank what he needed to. I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't want him to get out of control again. I was happy that he was trying so hard, at this rate it wouldn't be long before he was back to normal.

A few weeks later it seemed that Stefan was firmly back on track. I was overjoyed that he had managed to fight his cravings and he knew it. There had been a few close calls where the hunger had almost been too strong but Stefan managed to pull himself back with a little help from his brother.

Soon Damon didn't have to supervise him and everything was back to normal. At first I didn't think that they had enjoyed the time they had to spent together as Damon took every oppurtunity to moan and make withering comments about the company, but never once did he leave his brothers side.

It not only worked to keep Stefan from indulging in blood, but helped to mend their relationship. They had put their differences aside and had become stronger than ever. It also made my life easier as I wasn't constantly trying to keep the peace and divert fights.

I was so caught up in these happy thought that I jumped slightly when Damon clicked his fingers in front of my face. 'Hello, is anyone home?' he said teasingly.

I was sprawled on the couch at my house, my legs resting in Damon's lap. Now that him and Stefan had made up, we had become close friends and I was able to hang out with him more and not worry about what Stefan's reaction would be.

'Sorry, I was just thinking about how well everything is going,' I said happily. Damon grabbed a crisp from the bowl that was balanced precariously on my leg.

'Why are you eating the crisps?' I asked, frowning at him. 'Just because I don't need to eat doesn't mean I can't enjoy the taste,' he replied, popping the crisp into his mouth and crunched it loudly.

I smiled at his antics. 'Leave me some,' I joked. My phone let out a shrill ring, I really needed a knew ringtone. I wriggled to get it out of my back jean pocket, Damon thankfully catching the bowl before we both got covered in crisps.

'Hello?' I said, without checking the caller ID, smiling apologetically at Damon who helped himself to some more crisps.

'Hey, it's me,' Stefan said, 'do you not have this number?' I readjusted my phone to my other ear. 'Yeah I just didn't check the ID,' I explained.

'I just picked my car up from the garage and wanted to see if I could come around to yours for the day.'

I nudged Damon with my foot and gave him a warning glare to stop eating my crisps, which he blatantly ignored. 'Yep, sure. I'm here with Damon at the minute,' I said as I tried to wrestle the bowl out of his grip without success. I eventually gave up and Damon chuckled softly at his victory. 'He's eating all my crisps,' I told Stefan as his brother watched me, a smug expression on his face. I turned my head away from Damon in mock anger.

'Okay' he laughed 'I'll be there in 10 minutes'.

I put my phone back in my jean pocket and looked back at Damon in disbelief. I couldn't quite believe it but he had finished off the entire bowl of crisps. It was not a small bowl. 'Good luck with those calories,' I said.

Damon smiled sweetly at me. 'I was helping you out. I'd rather have the calories than you,' he said in a serious tone. I narrowed my eyes at him. 'What exactly are you trying to say?' I asked suspuciously. He shrugged carelessly. 'Maybe you should stay off the crisps,' he said lightly.

I raised my eyebrows at him, we both knew that I was not overweight in the slightest. 'Naughty vampire,' I scolded him, playfully throwing a pillow at him which he caught an inch from his head. He threw it back lightning quick and it collided with my face.

'No fair, I don't have your vampire reflexes,' I told Damon, pouting at the disadvantage.

'Nor my charm, wit or good looks' he replied smugly.

'You are so dead.'

'I know' he replied with a smirk before I threw the pillow back at him.

A few minutes later Stefan walked through the front door and narrowly avoided getting hit in the face by a fast moving pillow. I giggled from my hiding place behind the couch at the shocked expression on Stefan's face before I launched my last pillow at Damon who had stepped out when his brother had walked in.

It hit him square in the chest and fell to the floor. I punched the air in celebration of my win. Damon looked down at the pillow like he hadn't even noticed it. 'Ow,' he said teasingly, holding his chest in pretend pain. I stuck my tongue out at him in return.

'Is this the nursery?' Stefan asked, amusment glittering in his eyes as he took in my slightly ruffled hair from the pillow fight. 'Nope,' Damon replied, giving me a friendly push 'just helping Elena work off some calories'. I smacked him lightly on the shoulder before pulling Stefan towards me for a kiss.

I pulled away and laughed as Damon pulled faces and turned away. I pushed Stefan down onto the couch before hopping onto his lap. Damon took a seat in the armchair opposite.

'How's the car?' I asked, running a hand over Stefan's gelled hair. 'Good as new,' he replied. His car meant the world to him so if it was working well and Stefan was happy then I was happy.

'That's great,' I said to show that I cared. Stefan squeezed my arm lightly to tell me that he understood.

'Pile of junk,' Damon said almost in disgust. 'The sooner you get rid of it the better'.

I glared at him and put my hand over Stefans ears. 'Shhh' I whispered 'He'll get upset'. Stefan laughed and Damon rolled his eyes.

Stefans phone buzzed so he shifted me over on his lap slightly to get to it.

As soon as he looked at the screen a frown formed on his face. 'What is it?' I asked curious. Instead of answering me he looked at Damon.

'That was Dean,' he said throwing the phone at Damon who caught it mid air. When he looked at the screen he wore the same expression Stefan did. 'Quin is coming,' he said ominously.

'What's going on? Who's Quin?' I asked impatiantly, wanting to know what was happening. Stefan looked at me, his face serious. 'He's bad news and he's heading straight for Mystic Falls'.  
===

A short while later I had managed to draw some more information from the two brothers. It hadn't been an easy job. They were both very reluctant to tell me anything but I kept pushing them until they finally gave me some answers.

Dean, an old friend of theirs, had texted Stefan to warn him of Quin's movements. They had told me that Quin was not a nice man and that if he was coming to Mystic Falls he was wanting to stir up trouble. Damon and Stefan had once been powerful figures in the vampire world and Quin had always liked being powerful and in charge. In short he didn't get on well with the brothers.

Even after being told all of this information I still felt that they were holding something back but looking at their faces I knew that weren't going to tell me any more.

We had been sat in silence for a few minutes, each of us caught up in our own thoughts. A sudden knock on the door shattered the heavy silence.

Damon turned his head slightly to hear who was at the door. 'It's for you,' he told me, settling back into his thoughful silence.

It must be Caroline and Bonnie, I thought as I heaved myself up from the couch. I was right about that but as I opened the door I was slightly suprised to see Matt with them. I just stared at them for a moment.

'Uh...hi..' I said finally. They all smiled at me, oblivious to the horrific timing.

'We haven't seen you in ages,' Caroline said, shaking her head in disapproval. 'We thought if you were going to be antisocial we would all come and see you,' she informed me, not bothering to hide the pointed jab at my lack of contact.

I had been so caught up in my troubles that I had hardly given my best friends a second thought. It must have been at least a week since I had last spoken to any of them. I smiled at them apologetically, feeling slightly guilty. Bonnie and Caroline breezed in past me, their chatter stopping as they got to the living room.

I shut the door behind Matt. 'I see you already have company,' Caroline said tightly. I slipped past them further into the room. Damon and Stefan stood up as we entered.

Caroline and Bonnie smiled warmly at Stefan but didn't even glance at Damon. 'We're going to head home,' Stefan said, giving me a quick kiss on the lips before saying goodbye to everyone else. Whilst they were preoccupied talking to Stefan, Damon walked casually over before pulling me gently to the other side of the room so that no one would hear.

'I'll text you if there are any updates,' he whispered in my ear. I turned my head slightly towards him.

'You'd better,' I warned, not wanting to be left out of the loop.

He smiled slightly at the order. 'Yes Maam' he teased before his face became more serious. 'We don't know when Quin will arrive so you have to be careful. We'll probably know before he gets here but I still want you to be careful,' he said.

'Don't worry about me' I replied, smiling slightly at the concern in Damon's voice.

He frowned and opened his mouth to argue but I quickly shushed him as Matt approached. 'Hey,' he said, watching Damon carefully. 'You okay Elena?' he asked, seeing how we were stood so close.

'She's perfectly fine,' Damon said, putting an arm around my shoulders. 'We were just having a nice chat'. He smiled when he saw Matt tense in anger. I tried to shrug his arm off but it he wouldn't budge. Unable to move, I didn't want to start any trouble so I smiled reassuringly at Matt and tried to look relaxed.

Stefan, having heard the conversation, escaped from Caroline's endless talking to rescue me from the situation. I shot him a desperate look as he approached. 'Come on Damon, lets leave them to it,' Stefan told his brother, noting how his arm was locked around my shoulder.

Damon smiled warmly at Stefan before releasing me. 'Of course,' he said obligingly. 'See you later' said in a husky voice, winking flirtatiously. Stefan and I knew that he was just stirring up trouble but Matt blew his chest up protectively and gave Damon a vicious glare.

Damon blew me a kiss and smiled smugly at Matt's reaction. Stefan pulled him away before he could cause any more trouble.

'Bye Stefan,' Bonnie and Caroline called as he left. I shook my head at their obvious dismissal of Damon. It seemed they had picked a favourite brother.

I was slightly angry at Damon for being so childish. He had obviously loved winding Matt up and I knew I would have to talk to him about it later. Matt was happy to see them leave but made no attempt to leave my side.

Caroline and Bonnie took seats so I went and sat with them, Matt following at my heels. 'So, what's been happening with you?' they asked. I thought for a moment. I didn't want to tell them about Quin just yet,no need to panic them. Instead I diverted the attention to Caroline who was more than willing to take the lead.

I tried to relax as I listened to my friends but knowing that Quin was on the way kept my thoughts drifting. I was constantly checking my phone for Damon's text but none came. By the time my friends left I couldn't even sit down but started pacing anxiously.

I couldn't stand the waiting. The sooner this mysterious Quin arrived the better. It turned out I didn't have much longer to wait after all.

 **Leave a comment and tell me what you thought :) Next update on its way**


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